A funny way for graduating nurses to transition.

Other than the OB portion, as well as the “caring & communicating” portion, I did well enough on the HESI NOT to cry myself to sleep that night and party with my classmates one last time before being kicked out on my ass into the real world. As my dear nursing school besties are already experiencing, being broke during Xmas, having no one to tell you where to go a everyday (except our meager paying jobs), the depression sets in. Time to scrap ourselves off the couches and start studying for NCLEX!

We officially graduated Dec 7, 2012. This was the night of our pinning ceremony, the night we wore our old timey hat, took the Nightengale pledge and were ready to start our lives as REAL nurses…only to be forced to return to school the following week for a 3 day review and the HESI exit exam that basically told me I blacked out for 8 weeks of L&D nursing.

There are many other pics of Molls & I later on in the night joyously celebrating. But this photo has caught that moment of nervous excitement before it has actually happened. The few moments right before we say our pledge and can’t look back. We are nurses now.